THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for coming. Behave yourself up on the
balcony. (Laughter.) That would be you. This is champions' day here
at the White House, and it is my honor to welcome some great champs.
We are proud you're here.

I want to thank those who represent the universities. Here
present: James Moeser, the Chancellor, and Dick Baddour, the Athletic
Director of the University of North Carolina. We appreciate you being
here. Mike Garett, who is the Athletic Director of the University of
Southern California, is with us today. And Bill Jenkins, who is the
President of LSU, along with Roger Ogden, who is the Chairman of the
LSU Board of Supervisors and Skip Bertman, who is the Athletic
Director, we're proud you're here.

As you can probably see, we've got some members of the United
States Congress with us here today, and there seems to be quite a large
and vibrant delegation from the great state of Louisiana. (Applause.)
Senator John Breaux -- and Mary Landrieu are with us today.
(Applause.) Mighty Tiger fans. Richard Baker and Jim McCrery and
Chris John and Rodney Alexander, thank you all for coming. We're proud
you're here.

From California, Congressman Chris Cox and Dianne Watson are with
us today. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Congressmen David
Price and Mike McIntyre from North Carolina are with us as well. Thank
you all for being here. (Applause.)

First, it's my honor to recognize the football co-champs this year,
LSU and USC. Fantastic group of athletes and teams that battled to the
end. Any good team obviously requires good players. These teams have
got good players, but it also requires really good coaches. Pete
Carroll and Nick Saban are two of the finest coaches in the United
States. We're glad you're here. (Applause.)

There was quite a lot of discussion about who really was number
one. My attitude is, the South Lawn is a pretty good size. (Laughter
and applause.) Never mind. (Laughter.)

I appreciate the class of these two programs, and the grace they
demonstrated under pressure. Both schools, LSU and USC, are, in fact,
national champs. And we're proud to call you national champs.
(Applause.)

Obviously, in order to be a national champ, you've got to field
fine players at every position. I particularly want to say something
about USC tailback Reggie Bush. (Applause.) Where is he? His
teammates call him "the President." (Laughter.) "President Bush."
You must feel pretty comfortable here at the White House, "President
Bush." (Laughter.)

I also want to say one other word about an individual who is not
with us today, and that is Jeff Boss, who was the equipment manager for
24 years for LSU. Last October he died from cancer. The Tigers named
their locker room in Jeff's honor, and they kept his family in their
prayers throughout the season. You all know, and I know, that Jeff
would be incredibly proud of the fact that LSU won its first national
championship in 45 years. May God bless Jeff and his family, and may
God bless both the USC team and the LSU football team. Thank you all
for coming. (Applause.)

Now it's my honor to welcome back the Lady Trojans volleyball team
from USC. (Applause.) They did pretty well this year. They were
35-0. (Laughter.) Last year I had the honor of welcoming my friend,
Mick Haley here at the White House. See, Mick used to coach the
University of Texas volleyball team, and I used to work out at the gym
there and he used to come over and give me pointers all the time about
how to strengthen up and look a little better. My advice is, when you
see the Governor of California, he doesn't need many pointers, Mick.
(Laughter.)

Mick's a good man. He coaches a group of great ladies who are, in
fact, national champs. I asked how many of them are coming back next
year. Of course, one of them asked if I was. (Laughter.) But he has
a lot of returners for next year, and this group of champs is welcome
here at the White House anytime. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)

Then we honor Coach Anson Dorrance's UNC Tarheel women's soccer
team. (Applause.) Anson's got a pretty good record. He's coached for
25 years, and he's won 18 national championships. That's the sign of a
good coach who knows good talent and knows how to mold everybody into a
good team. This year they were 32-0. When I had my honor of having my
picture taken with the team, I asked, what was the closest match,
closest game. One of the ladies said, it was 3-0. That's a heck of a
team; 32-0 and the closest game is 3-0. UNC gets a lot of attention
for its basketball team, but let me remind you of what the legendary
coach Dean Smith said. He said, "UNC is a women's soccer school." And
once again, these ladies have proven Coach Dean Smith correct. Welcome
back. (Applause.)

Jerry Yeagley is here with the Indian Hoosier men's soccer team.
He's been with the Hoosiers for three decades, and in those 30 years,
they have won six national titles. (Applause.) He retired last fall
with 544 wins, more than any coach in NCAA Division One history. Coach
Yeagley, we're proud of you, we're proud of the team you've brought
here, we're proud of your dedication to athletics. I want to thank you
for working so hard to teach the young men of your teams the difference
between right and wrong and how to play as a team. Today we honor your
coaching career at the same time we honor the great Indiana Hoosier
soccer team. Welcome. (Applause.)

These are impressive athletes behind me, but I think if you really
look beyond the athletics, you'll find some decent and compassionate
people, as well. These athletes, in the most part, understand they
have a responsibility to uphold to the communities in which they live.
They understand it's one thing to be a champ on the field, it's another
to be a champ off the field; by setting the right example for some
youngster who is wondering what it means to be a champ.

By setting good messages about right and wrong behavior, and by
volunteering in their community, the USC football team makes a trip to
the USC Children's Hospital every year, to visit patients and to give
gifts and to sign autographs. You know what they're doing? They're
bringing some sunshine into somebody's life, is what they're doing.
The LSU football players visit hospitals and they teach elementary
school children how to read. They're taking their talents off the
football field and putting them in the classroom, so some child in
Louisiana has a chance to realize a better life.

The USC women's volleyball team raised money and participated
together in the Race for the Cure for breast cancer research. They
took their athleticism and put it into practice to help save somebody's
life. The UNC soccer team is helping to build a Habitat For Humanity
house near the campus. They're using their God-given talents to make
sure somebody has a place to live. And finally, the Indiana soccer
players volunteer as coaches and mentors for youth soccer teams in
Bloomington, Indiana.

All these players have understood it's important to serve something
greater than yourself in life. They learned to do so by working
together for a team, and they're learning to do so by making the
community in which they live a better place for every citizen. It is
my honor to welcome true champs here to the White House. I
congratulate you for your hard work. I wish you all the best for the
-- whatever the future may hold. God bless you all. (Applause.)